Arrangement and Description

The Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, 2nd edition (AACR2) is a content standard published by the American Library Association (ALA), Canadian Library Association (CLA), and Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP). AACR2 includes instructions for describing library materials and for the establishment of access points for the creators of these materials. The descriptive rules in Part I are organized by material type, and within the chapters based on the areas defined by the International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD). AACR2 is no longer being maintained, and is scheduled to be replaced by Resource Description and Access (RDA) in early 2013.

Resource Description and Access (RDA) is a content standard published by the American Library Association (ALA), Canadian Library Association (CLA), and Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP). RDA is based on the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) and Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD), and is structured according to those conceptual models. The standard includes instructions for describing library and archival materials, as well as their creators. RDA is currently scheduled to be implemented by the American national libraries in early 2013, replacing The Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, 2nd edition (AACR2).

The International Standard for Describing Functions (ISDF) is a content model and a companion standard to International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families (ISAAR(CPF)) and General International Standard Archival Description (ISAD(G)). ISDF provides guidelines for creating descriptions of record-generating functions, extending the ISAD(G)-ISAAR(CPF) model for describing and contextualizing archival materials. ISDF defines 23 elements in four areas of a function record (Identity, Context, Relationships, and Control), and includes general content guidelines. The standard also includes information on linking these records to archival descriptive and authority records.

The General International Standard Archival Description (ISAD(G)) is a content model developed by ICA. ISAD(G) provides guidelines for creating descriptions of archival materials, establishing a model based on the principle of respect des fonds within a multi-level description. ISAD(G) defines 26 elements in seven areas of a descriptive record (Identity Statement, Context, Content and Structure, Condition of Access and Use, Allied Materials, Note, and Description Control), and provides general content guidelines. The ISAD(G) content model, along with the International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families (ISAAR(CPF)), serves as the foundation of Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS).

The International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families [ISAAR(CPF)] is a content model and a companion standard to General International Standard Archival Description (ISAD(G)). ISAAR(CPF) provides guidelines for recording authority data for entitites associated with archival materials. The model defines 27 elements in four areas of an authority record (Identity, Description, Relationships, and Control), and includes general content guidelines. It also includes information on linking these records to descriptions of archival materials and other authority records. The ISAAR(CPF) content model, along with ISAD(G), serves as the foundation of Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS).

Developed by the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA).

The Functional Requirements for Subject Authority Data (FRSAD) is a conceptual model and a companion document to the earlier Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) and Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD). FRSAD extends the model for FRBR Group 3 entities, which serve as the subjects of FRBR Works, while abandoning the FRBR Group 3 entity structure (Concept, Object, Event, Place) in favor of conceptual entities (Thema) that are known by name tokens (Nomen).

Developed by the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA).

The Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) is a conceptual model that is meant to describe the different entities that compose the bibliographic universe and their inter-relationships, connecting the model to user tasks FRBR-based systems support. The most commonly known features of the FRBR model is its four user tasks (Find, Identify, Select, and Obtain) and the Group 1 Entities which categorize the products of intellectual and artistic endeavors (Work, Expression, Manifestation, and Item). Other entities included in the model are the Group 2 Entities representing creators (Person and Corporate Body), and Group 3 Entities which are the subjects of Works (Group 1 Entities, Group 2 Entities, plus Concept, Object, Event, and Place). The FRBR model, together with the Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD), serves as the foundation of Resource Description and Access (RDA).

Developed by the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA).

The Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD) is a conceptual model and a companion document to the earlier Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) conceptual model. FRAD includes additional attributes for each of the Group 1, 2, and 3 entities, as well as a new Group 2 entity (Family). It also includes attributes intended to support the authority control process (Name, Identifier, Controlled Access Point, Rules, and Agency). In addition to expanded entities and attributes, FRAD defines a different set of user tasks for authority data than FRBR did for bibliographic data. Here, the user tasks are Find, Identify, Contextualize, and Justify. The FRAD model, together with FRBR, serves as the foundation of the content standard Resource Description and Access (RDA).

Developed by Biodiversity Information Standards, also known as the Taxonomic Databases Working Group (TDWG).

Natural Collections Description (NCD) is a proposed data standard for describing collections of natural history materials at the collection level; one NCD record describes one entire collection.

Collection descriptions are electronic records that document the holdings of an organisation as groups of items, which complement the more traditional item-level records such as are produced for a single specimen or a library book. NCD is tailored to natural history. It lies between general resource discovery standards such as Dublin Core (DC) and rich collection description standards such as the Encoded Archival Description (EAD).

The NCD standard covers all types of natural history collections, such as specimens, original artwork, archives, observations, library materials, datasets, photographs or mixed collections such as those that result from expeditions and voyages of discovery.

Maintained by the Collections Trust/Collections Link and Arts Council England.

SPECTRUM is a UK standard for museum documentation, maintained by the Collections Trust, a non-profit organization. SPECTRUM has a wide scope, including descriptive information for museum objects, reproduction management, acquisitions, and loan management. It is intended to prescribe data elements present in a museum management system, but does not provide a specific data encoding format.